The Age of Reform

A great many Britons, though Englishmen in particular, have ditched the traditional two parties and are lending their support to Reform UK, Nigel Farage’s latest project. This may be evidence of the much-prophesied polarisation of British politics which has already happened in America, whereby mainstream views increasingly move away from the middle ground and drfit to the extremes. Leftwing voters are shifting to the Greens at Labour’s expense, and right-wingers to Reform at the Conservatives’. Furthermore, many evangelical Christians are supporting Reform, at least ones in my circles who share with me their political preoccupations, as it makes the right noises and claims to address those troubling issues that the ‘main’ parties are perceived to neglect. After the First World War, the Labour Party elbowed aside the old Liberal Party and become one of the Big Two. Reform UK might be a mid-twenties flash in the pan, much like the SDP of the 1980s, or it might play a similar role to the Tories as Labour was to the Liberals a century ago. Time will tell.

Reform UK, even if its current ability to ride high in the polls translates into a Commons majority in 2029 (and a lot can change in that time), may prove to be a disappointment. It will have to defend a catalogue of failures and mistakes from its management of the county and borough councils it has recently gained, while the quality of some its elected representatives seems to be rather poor. Unless they have jumped ship from other parties, they will have little experience and are likely to be too loose with their mouths. According to Mark Pack (“Lib Dem peer and political polling expert”) at least 74 councillors have left Reform since May 2025, which includes resignations, expulsions and translation to independent status. This represents a significant portion of the 677 councillors elected during the May 2025 elections, over a short, twelve-month period. To be fair, each party has problematic councillors and there will be a natural leakage as idlers and weirdoes are exposed, but Reform’s figures are certainly on the high side. Should they form a government, the quality of the MPs they whip might suffer be similar to their mixed bag of councillors.

I will always urge Christians to vote for who they see fit, though I add a note of caution. Put all your hopes in the sunny uplands of a Reform UK government, and you are likely to be disappointed (much as we have been disappointed by every other twenty-first century Westminster administration). Psalm 146:3 urges us not to

‘… put your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help.’

This does not just mean Charles III or a future William V, but any party leader, including Mr Farage, who promises this or offers that in order to gain power. Only Jesus Christ is the prince in whom we can place our absolute trust and loyalty, and by whom we shall never, ever be let down. In the meantime, we pray for our land, and with suitably lowered expectations, we seek good and competent government. 

A  D